Sask. union leaders call for restrictions as COVID-19 cases increase | The Canadian News

The leaders of six Saskatchewan unions are calling on the Saskatchewan government to impose restrictions as COVID-19 cases increase in the province.

They call on the Saskatchewan Government to heed the measures taken by Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical officer, recommended on January 12.

These include limiting meeting sizes to 10 people, limiting the frequency of meetings and establishing consistent bubbles, and limiting non-work and non-school contacts.

“By continuing to do nothing, our government has made it clear that they do not care whether workers get sick or not,” said Lori Johb, president of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labor.

“The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is a clear threat to occupational health and safety in the workplace, and it is time for our government to act and do its duty to ensure that workers are kept safe at work.”

The head of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF), SGEU, SEIU-West, the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN) and CUPE Saskatchewan joined Johb who asked for the measures.

Together, the unions represent more than 113,000 workers in the province.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe earlier this week rejected any new measures for the province.

“Omicron is spreading across Canada and around the world, whether there are lock-in policies in place or not, so we are not going to impose new restrictions and limitations that cause significant damage for no apparent reason,” Moe said in a Twitter thread on Tuesday.

“Instead, we will continue to promote and deliver preventative measures that are effective, such as rapid tests and reinforcement shots.”

Maintaining the status quo is leading to the unbridled spread of COVID-19 and intrusive services across the province, the working groups said.

Staff shortages and burnout are being reported, and many sectors are reporting that they are operating in a crisis mode.

“We need to take these steps to protect the public and our registered nurses who want to be able to provide safe, high-quality care to Saskatchewan patients but are unable to do so with extreme staff shortages and with health services already overwhelmed,” “said SUN President Tracy Zambory.

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Saskatchewan has reported more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily over the past six days, with active cases in the province starting Wednesday at 11,894.

Hospitalizations shot up from 79 at the start of the year to 199 on Wednesday, with 21 people in intensive care.

Dr. Alexander Wong said hospitalizations could peak between 750 and 1,500 patients by mid-February, based on models he has from the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

He said that if measures are not put in place and COVID-19 is left unchecked, it could destroy the province’s healthcare system.

To be clear, NO scenarios avoid the cancellation of ALL ‘non-live’ procedures and operations again. It is inevitable at this stage, “Wong said in a Twitter thread on Thursday.

“Running COVID unhindered as @SKGov has, sacrificing the health of ALL #SK citizens, destroying the publicly funded healthcare system and leading to immeasurable health consequences (children !! the vulnerable !!), suffering and death.”

Wong said it was not too late for the government to put in place measures to save the province’s hospitals.

“If they do nothing, it’s implicit confirmation that they’re ready to burn down # SK’s smoldering health care system again.”

Moe said while modeling is one source to consider when making policy decisions, greater emphasis is being placed on “real-time data from across Canada to inform our COVID-19 response.”

“The government acknowledges that hospitalizations are on the rise and will continue to rise for some time to come,” Moe said in a statement on Thursday.

“Saskatchewan’s current rates of COVID-19 related hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths are currently well below the national average and far below other provinces that have imposed severe restrictions.”

He rejected calls for new measures.

“However, we see no clear evidence that lock-in measures have reduced hospitalizations, ICU surveys and deaths in other provinces and consequently there is no reason to impose harmful new restrictions in Saskatchewan.”

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